Lady Pirates hold off Warriors for spot in district championship
NOTE: This story was published in The Platte County Citizen- Volume 60, Issue No. 43, May 19, 2021
It was an intense second half, but the No. 5 ranked Platte County Pirates did enough to defeat the No. 15 ranked St. Pius X Warriors in the Class 3 District 16 girls' soccer semifinal round by a final score of 2-1 on Monday, May 17 at Kearney High School.
The top-seeded Pirates (22-2) avoided the upset against the bottom-seeded Warriors (13-8). It was also Platte County’s first postseason win in four years, last defeating Smithville 3-0 in the district semifinal in 2017. Platte County now advances to the District Championship on Wednesday, May 19 where the Pirates will play the Kearney Bulldogs, who defeated Smithville 1-0 following Platte County’s win.
After the Warriors began the game on the front foot, it was the Pirates who were more effective in the final third and thought they had taken the lead 13 minutes in until senior Ryanne Rhude’s goal was called offsides. Six minutes later, the Warriors pounded on the door when a shot from short distance was saved by Pirates' goalkeeper Avery Krahenbill.
The Pirates did find the opener after junior Riley Smith scored following a strong solo run out of midfield, beating the keeper with a pass into the bottom left corner with 17 minutes to play in the first half.
St. Pius X managed to pull level from a free kick 11 minutes into the second half. After the original delivery was headed back towards the other side of the box, freshman Macy Wilderson was first to the second ball and smashed it past the keeper.
“We will definitely be working on staying goal side defensively,” said Platte County head coach Ashlyn Brantley following the win. “It wasn’t a problem all season, I don’t know why it was a problem tonight.”
With the game level at 1-1, both teams came close to taking the lead. Platte County’s chance came from a corner kick that looped to the back post and was destined for goal before it was cleared off the line by a Pius defender standing on the post. St. Pius X’s opportunity came shortly after when its shot beat the keeper, but was cleared off the line by a Platte County defender.
With 17 minutes remaining, Platte County scored what proved to be the game winner. After receiving a pass from freshman Addison Bradley, Pirate junior Hannah Stone pulled the trigger on a shot from the edge of the six yard box. The shot overpowered the Pius goalkeeper, who got her fingertips to it, giving Platte County the 2-1 advantage.
The Warriors couldn’t muster up any other big opportunities, ending their season with their second loss to Platte County this season.
“We’ve been relying on Riley (Smith),” Brantley said. “I’d like to see some more creativity from others.”
Smith scored the only goal of the first half with a solo run, but she also helped things settle down once they took the 2-1 lead in the second half by playing a more defensive role in the midfield.
Platte County will seek its fourth win over Kearney this season, already beating the Bulldogs three times throughout the regular season, outscoring them 6-1. It will also be a rematch of the 2017 District Championship, where Kearney defeated Platte County 2-1 in 2OT. A win against Kearney would clinch Platte County’s first district title since 2016.
